Loop
by Smart Alex
Summary: In the midst of their dimension-hopping, the gang ends up in one of the strangest dimensions yet. How will Sakura and Syaoran react when faced with.. themselves? And what's happened to Sakura Kinomoto's magic? CCS TRC crossover.
1. in the end we will come face to face

"Augh," said Syaoran. Fai remembered that part quite clearly, because he meant to tease him about it later. But then Sakura had squeaked and Mokona had started squirming around and Kurogane just stood there and sighed, so Fai finally looked away from Syaoran and noticed the couple standing there.

"Are you lost?" the woman said kindly.

"Sakura-chan, you don't even know who they are, what are you do--" the man said, stopping as soon as the woman waved a hand at him to shut up.

"We're new here," Kurogane said. Fai couldn't even remember the last time Kurogane had volunteered information. That distracted him for a few moments, until he realized that the woman was inviting them to her house.

"You look like you could use a good bath," the woman said happily. "Oh, Syaoran, isn't it lucky that we finally renovated the second bathroom? It's nice and clean again."

The man frowned. "You do all look as if you could use a bath. But who _are_ y--"

"Thank you so much for your generous offer!" Fai interrupted, smiling. "I'm sure we would all like to thank our kind benefactors by name."

The woman laughed. "Oh, aren't you polite! Well, I'm Sakura Kinomoto, and this is my husband, Li."

The man scowled. "Charmed."

"He's not too trusting of strangers, don't mind him," the woman said reassuringly. Her bracelet jingled, making a funny clanging sound, and she pushed it higher up on her wrist. Fai caught a tiny glimpse of a feather charm before her hand covered it, just as Mokona's eyes began to dilate.

But the princess once more saved the day when she fainted right into Syaoran's arms.

* * *

**Loop**

_Going in circles, in the end we will come face to face again._

* * *

Syaoran didn't particularly care what his wife thought about these strangers. Although the boy and the girl looked oddly familiar, they were _strangers_. Of course, that never stopped Sakura from trying to help, but just look what happened the last time she got friendly with a person she found on the street.

"Stop, dear, you're growling," Sakura told him, and patted his cheek. "I really don't understand why you must be so suspicious. That poor girl looks like she's walked for days to get here, and the others didn't look very good either. Besides, would you have preferred the police to get them?"

"No," Syaoran admitted. But he had a different motive than Sakura for not wanting the police to get to them first. At least two of the strangers had incredibly strong magical auras. Who knew why had they traveled all the way to a tiny suburb like Tomoeda? Perhaps they had heard about what happened to the Card Mistress, and came to bother her.

He narrowed his eyes. If they dared even lift a _finger_ against Sakura, he wouldn't hold back. He would never let anyone hurt her again.

* * *

The following distraction was more than enough for Fye and Kurogane to think of names and cover stories for themselves and the two children. Syaoran would be Shouhei, and Sakura would be Miu, while Fye and Kurogane would keep their own names. Mokona loudly insisted on still being Mokona, until Kurogane stuffed him into Syaoran's forgotten travel pack.

_("Oh, look," says Yuuko as Black Mokona opens his mouth widely. "They've sent us a souvenir. How nice, it's a dirty sock. What are they up to, I wonder?")_

They would be travelers, from distant lands, and would decide the rest once the Princess woke up.

* * *

The other, older Sakura led them to a nice, tidy house on a quiet street. They passed a few shops on the way, and something that looked like a fruit stand, but already it was apparent that in this country, the residential area was separate from the commercial area. As far as Syaoran could tell, that meant that they weren't in a city, but the lack of open plains meant that they weren't in the countryside, either. He could not smell the ocean, and saw no mountains past the numerous trees that lined the streets.

Whatever this world was, where his other self was married to the Princess, it seemed normal enough. The sky was its usual blue, and no monsters or demons had appeared yet. Perhaps they would be able to relax for a while.

"Here we are," Other, Older Sakura said cheerfully, reaching in her pocket for the house key. She turned towards Syaoran, and nodded down at the princess, still cradled in his arms. "Has she woken up yet?"

Syaoran froze and blushed. It was one thing to see familiar faces in the other worlds, but it was quite another thing to have another Sakura speak directly to him, while his own other self glared daggers at his back.

Fai stepped forwards, Mokona balancing on his shoulder, and carefully pushed back the princess's hair, pretending to check for a fever. He shook his head, and replied "It looks like poor Miu-chan is still out cold."

"Eh?!" Syaoran exclaimed, nearly dropping the princess. They had never assumed names before, and there seemed to be no reason to start now. What was Fai _thinking_?

Kurogane placed what was probably meant to be a comforting hand on his shoulder, but instead felt more like a very heavy and warning weight. "You okay carrying her, uh, Shouhei?"

Syaoran stared at him, shifting the princess slightly. "Yeah, I'm fine." He supposed that this was what Fai and Kurogane had been whispering about as they were following the couple home. He had only caught a few words, something about the meaning of a name being important, but hadn't thought much of it at the time.

Older Sakura smiled reassuringly. "Don't be too worried, Shouhei-kun, I'm sure she'll be all right."

She fit the key in the door, then frowned. "No, this isn't it.."

Syaoran looked at it curiously. It was pink, with a design like white wings on the sides, and hung on a piece of string. It looked more like the costume jewelry that the princess used to wear than a key for unlocking anything, but there was something odd about it.

"Here, Sakura, I knew you'd forget your keys again," said the other Syaoran swiftly, putting a bag of groceries to the side and opening the door for her.

Other Sakura smiled up at him sheepishly. "I guess I got a bit mixed up, didn't I?"

She pocketed the strange key before stepping into the house and gesturing for them to do the same. "Please, come in."

She stepped out of her shoes, and after putting them in a rack by the door slipped her feet into a plain pair of slippers. Other Syaoran did the same, before informing the other Sakura that he'd take care of the groceries, and walked into another room.

"Well, welcome to our home," said Other Sakura. "Please follow me, Miu-chan can rest in the guest room while you tell me where you're from."

Syaoran nodded, and followed the Other Sakura down a narrow hall, ignoring Fai and Kurogane as they snuck peeks at some of the other rooms, and into a sparsely furnished bedroom. He looked around, observing the plain furniture - a small chest of drawers, a bookshelf and a night table - before carefully placing the princess on the neatly made bed that had been pushed into a corner.

The Other Sakura went over to a closet and pulled out a pink blanket, which she carefully tucked around the princess. "I think we still have my old bed in the garage," Other Sakura said. "I'll have Li-kun see if he can't find it and maybe some futons. And the bathroom's in there," she added, gesturing to another door. "Don't mind the wall colours, we haven't finished painting yet."

Kurogane excused himself, exchanging a quick look with Fai that Syaoran took to mean he would make sure everything was truly safe before closing the bathroom door.

"Does Miu-chan need anything else?" Other Sakura asked kindly.

Syaoran looked down at the princess, and noticed that she was, in fact, fast asleep. He shook his head 'no', biting his lip in the process. "She's fine."

"Then let's have a talk," said Other Sakura, smiling, and motioned for them to follow her.

Kurogane burst out of the bathroom, looking vaguely disgruntled, as Mokona jumped off Fai's head and into Syaoran's arms. "Mokona likes her," Mokona whispered solemnly, and Syaoran nodded in response.

Other Sakura led them into a living area, and took a seat on a chair. Syaoran and Fai sat on the sofa, while Kurogane sat on the floor, and Other Syaoran came to stand by Other Sakura.

"So, where are you from, anyway?" said Other Sakura.

"You're _obviously_ not from around here," Other Syaoran said pointedly.

The three exchanged a look.

"Well," Fai said, "we're travelers. And we come from very far away."

"Unrelated," Kurogane was quick to add. "Absolutely unrelated."

"We're trying to help Miu-chan," Fai said. "Since she's developed a slight, er, problem."

"She lost her memory, and we're trying to help her get it back," Syaoran summarized.

Other Sakura's eyes widened. "Really? Oh, the poor dear."

"That doesn't explain your clothes," said Other Syaoran. "Are you some sort of cosplay group, perhaps?"

Kurogane shrugged, obviously as confused as Syaoran was, and Fai grinned sheepishly. Other Syaoran's eyes narrowed, but he didn't press the subject.

"But what about your families?" Other Sakura asked. "Aren't they worried?"

The three exchanged another look.

"Well, my father has passed away," Syaoran said truthfully.

"And we're trying to find Miu's family, too," Fai added.

It was half of the truth, at least, which was better than nothing. Although, Syaoran was beginning to feel a bit unnerved by the other Syaoran's staring. It was almost as if his other self could see right through their story. But thankfully, Other Sakura seemed to buy it.

"I'm sorry to hear that, Shouhei-kun," she said, and pointed to a picture frame on the table by the sofa. "My mother died when I was very young, too, and I don't know what I would have done without my own father."

She sighed, and looked down at her hands, folded in her lap. "It seems you certainly have had your share of trouble, haven't you? Especially for ones as young as Shouhei-kun and Miu-chan, but I'm sure you two have been taking care of them, right? You look like responsible people," Other Sakura said, looking up at Fai and Kurogane and smiling.

"Shouhei-kun is very self reliant," Fai said cheerfully. "He's gotten Kurogane and I out of many a scrape."

Kurogane snorted indignantly.

Other Sakura laughed. "I can see that you're truly a team. You're welcome to stay here for as long as you need to, okay?"

"But, Sakura-chan--" Other Syaoran protested.

Other Sakura smiled charmingly. "It's _fine_, dear. Something tells me that they're looking for something very important, and they'll need some time to find it. Besides, what would we do with that extra room? It's just going to waste, for the moment..."

She looked at her wristwatch, and gasped. "Oh, no, I've got to get dinner started. Please make yourself at home, okay?" she said, standing up and brushing off her skirt. "And _be nice_," she warned her husband, causing him to flush.

"Thank you," Syaoran, Fai and Kurogane chimed, as Other Sakura rushed into the kitchen.

The Other Syaoran sat down on the couch, and looked at them all seriously. "Now then," he began. "Why don't you tell me exactly what you're doing here."

"We just did," Fai said, grinning as widely as ever.

"I don't believe a word of it," said Other Syaoran bluntly. "You're obviously some sort of magician. The girl's got a huge void in her. And you, Shouhei or whatever your name is, you've got something odd about you, too."

Fai's grin faltered, Syaoran frowned and Kurogane's posture became even more rigid.

Mokona spoke up, wiggling free of Syaoran's grip. "You're being rude, you know, asking all these questions."

Other Syaoran abruptly blanched.


	2. we would never have met

_If the Earth was flat, we would have never met._

* * *

It was hard to find out that he had been wrong. It was harder to realize that he had been so fooled, blinded by his own human senses, that he hadn't seen that the other strong source of magic wasn't the boy, but the odd white toy on his lap.

"You can talk," Li Syaoran stated, his brain attempting to catch up with this new information.

"Yup!" the toy said happily. "And Mokona _never ever_ stops, unless it's really important, but that's not the point. Mokona wants to know what's wrong with _your _Sakura?"

Syaoran breathed in sharply and tried to chase away panicked thoughts of why it would notice anything had happened to her, or care; and barely noticed how it referred to Sakura as 'your Sakura'. He seized the opportunity given to him when the three strangers suddenly relaxed from their tense stances to gape at the creature's sudden revelation, and rapidly cycled through all the information he had gathered about them.

The blond haired man had as good as admitted to being a magician. He had magic written all over him, and his carefully blank, content smile was one that Syaoran had seen too many times on Eriol's face.

The other, scowling man held himself like a fighter, a swordsman, and spoke with a rough accent. Syaoran had become accustomed to noticing things like accents and dialects, after struggling for so long to learn Japanese and speak it well.

And the boy... the boy was the one who he had thought had the magic, if only because he reminded him of himself. The way he had gently held that girl, Miu, spoke volumes about what he felt, and how important she was to him. It was an expression Syaoran had himself had many times, when Sakura was still the Cardcaptor. This boy had an odd way of holding himself, as if he was a novice fighter who didn't quite know what to do with himself, but Syaoran attributed that to his age.

The white creature spoke again. "Mokona sensed that your Sakura has had something taken away from her. What happened?"

Syaoran found his voice again. "Why do you call her my Sakura?"

Speaking his questions reminded him that, although he had adopted Sakura's name, he was still a Li. He pulled out a seal, holding it between his fingers, and studied the others. "What do you want here? I want you to tell me everything."

"You can do magic too?" the boy - what was it that they had called him, Shouhei? - breathed, staring at him with his own eyes. It was disconcerting, but Syaoran didn't dwell on that.

The white creature shook its head. "Mokona's friends aren't going to fight you; Mokona knows you aren't an enemy. We want to help your Sakura."

"You sound awfully sure that we're not going to fight," the black haired man said, scowling. "Personally, I don't recall ever agreeing to that. And I _really_ don't like being threatened."

"Kurogane, shut up," the magician said pleasantly.

Syaoran thought for a moment, and decided on a plan. He set up a shield, blocking sound from going into the kitchen, and the sounds of pots clanging and Sakura's humming abruptly ceased. He turned to face the strangers once more. "How are you going to help Sakura? She's fine the way she is."

"If she's fine, why did you block her from hearing us?" the white creature asked, and for the first time, it opened its eyes to look at him.

Syaoran stared back at it, and didn't respond.

Finally, the white creature looked away, and shut its eyes again. "Your Sakura is the same as ours, but she shouldn't be. Your Sakura is missing something very important."

"Mokona, you're going to get us into trouble," the boy muttered, looking very ill at ease.

"No, it won't," Syaoran said. "I don't know who you all are, but you, creature, have Clow's signature all over you."

"Mokona is _Mokona_," said the creature, frowning. "Not creature."

"Tell me what it means by 'your Sakura'," Syaoran ordered, fixing the three with a meaningful glare. "Was Clow Reed planning something? Did he send you here?"

"No-o," the magician said, drawing out each syllable, appearing perplexed. The black haired swordfighter looked even more sullen.

"I don't know who Clow Reed is," the boy offered hesitantly. "But there was a King named Clow in my land."

Syaoran blinked. "KingClow?"

The creature had apparently finished sulking, and jumped onto the coffee table, ears flapping. "Mokona's from Clow, too!" it chirped. "Clow helped make Mokona Modoki. Big Syaoran is related to Clow too, right?"

Syaoran nodded, frowning slightly. If this was another one of Clow's plans, it was showing up at exactly the wrong time.

"I'm from the_ Land_ of Clow," the boy amended hastily, interrupting his thoughts. "Not what Mokona's talking about."

"The Land of Clow," Syaoran repeated dubiously.

"The Princess is, too," the boy added.

"_Princess?_"

"_My_ Sakura, I mean," the boy said, face flushing. "Princess Sakura."

The swordsman and the magician exchanged a glance.

"Wouldn't it have been easier to just believe we were ordinary travelers?" the magician offered, smiling.

Syaoran stared at them, dumbfounded.

-

"... and I guess that's it," Syaoran said, ending his more in-depth summary of their adventures thus far by putting his hands back on his knees, as if he'd just finished performing a lengthy kata. Kurogane couldn't help but feel proud of the kid, in a small way.

"So the story you told Sakura a moment ago was a lie?" the Other Syaoran asked.

"We thought it was enough of the truth for the time being," Fai said carefully. Kurogane grunted his agreement.

"And the girl with you – Miu – is really named Sakura," the other Syaoran said thoughtfully. "And she's the princess of the Land of Clow in another dimension?"

"Yes," said Syaoran. He hadn't bothered to mention that his real name was Syaoran, either. That was probably for the best, Kurogane thought. It was hard enough to think of them as Syaoran and Other Syaoran.

"And that magical void in her was because she's lost her memory..." Other Syaoran mused. "Has she ever displayed any magical talent?"

Fai and Kurogane looked over at Syaoran curiously. Fai's complacent smile had made its way back onto his face some time earlier, and had yet to slip. Mokona had hopped back onto Fai's shoulder a few minutes prior, and had not spoken for the duration of Syaoran's story, only nodding in agreement at certain parts, and currently had a very serious look on its face.

But Syaoran shook his head. "I can't think of anything specific."

Other Syaoran nodded darkly. "Tell me more about the person who sent you here."

"Oh, Yuuko-san?" Syaoran echoed, frowning slightly. "She's a very powerful sorceress. The High Priest in my country called her the Time-Space Witch, but she seems to be known by other names as well."

"Can you give me a physical description?" Other Syaoran interrupted.

Syaoran thought. "She's tall and slender," he said finally, counting each item off on his fingers, as if he was inventorying an item. "Very long black hair, with bangs. Angular face and nose. Pale skin. When I last saw her, she looked like she was wearing a festival dress, with long sloping sleeves trailing down to the hem."

"I see," Other Syaoran said.

Syaoran seemed vaguely thrown off by his other self's nonreaction to Yuuko. The other Syaoran looked grim, but had no other reaction to indicate that he knew who she was. In fact, it was almost as if he had been waiting for an entirely different description than the elegant, lazy-eyed woman who'd sent them on their journey.

"Does this have something to do with what happened to your Sakura?" Kurogane said bluntly. "I don't see any other reason for a _married man_ to ask for a physical description of the Witch."

"Please don't mind him," Fai said, still smiling, the hypocrite. "He has no manners-"

"I'm _serious_," Kurogane growled, frustrated. "I want to know just what we're getting ourselves into-"

Other Syaoran looked over his shoulder and into the kitchen. The barrier he had placed still blocked any sound, but the other Sakura was likely to come through at any moment.

"There isn't enough time to explain it now," he said, and he fixed them all with a fierce gaze. Just like the kid's, Kurogane thought, and grimaced.

"I'll tell you this much," Other Syaoran said. "Sakura doesn't know anything about magic now. Don't show or tell her anything unusual. I don't care what you say, but I don't want her disturbed by anything."

Syaoran nodded solemnly, Fai's smile faded, and Kurogane hmmphed. Mokona, to its credit, merely squinted further, and didn't say a word.

"Release," Other Syaoran whispered quickly, and the barrier he had set up vanished bare seconds before Other Sakura burst through the doorway.

"Dinner's just about ready," she said brightly, still holding a spatula.

The Princess peered around her shoulder. "Come and eat!"

-

Sakura was used to waking up in odd places. She tended to faint a lot. Most of the time it had something to do with her feathers, she knew, but she wasn't exactly sure what had caused this attack. No point in putting off the inevitable, she decided, and groggily opened her eyes.

"Oh, so you're awake," said a strangely familiar voice.

The woman from before – the one named Sakura, who looked like her – was sitting by her feet. She smiled, green eyes sparkling.

"Are you feeling better, Miu-chan?" she asked.

Sakura sat up halfway.

"I'm much better," she said doubtfully. She wasn't sure why the woman had called her Miu, but she seemed nice enough.

"I'm glad," the woman said sincerely. "Your friends carried you here after you fainted in the street. They're talking to my husband, now, since they said you'd probably have to rest, anyway. I thought I'd check on you while the noodles boil."

"Thank you ma'am," Sakura said, and managed a smile. She sat up all the way and looked around the room. The walls were white and square, and there wasn't much furniture. "Um, where am I?" she added hesitantly, hoping the woman wouldn't think that to be too strange a question.

"This town's called Tomoeda, it's a suburb of Tokyo," the woman said. "Please don't call me ma'am, Miu-chan. It makes me feel old. Call me Sakura, okay?"

"Okay, Sakura-san," Sakura agreed. Suddenly, she missed Syaoran and the others. If only they were here to tell her what was going on! It was awful being out of the loop.

"Do you feel up to helping me cook?" the Other Sakura asked suddenly. "I always feel like I need to do something with myself when I'm waiting for someone."

Sakura blinked. It was almost as if she had read her mind.

"That would be lovely," she said politely. "I'll do my best to help you, Sakura-san."

"I have a second sense about these things," the Other Sakura said, smoothing her skirt as she stood up. Her hair was very long, Sakura noticed, even braided, it fell past her shoulders. "And I thought you might be a little like me."

"I think so, too," said Sakura, getting out of bed and following her to the kitchen.

-

As the evening crept on, Syaoran continued to make notes in the mental journal he tended to keep in each dimension. He ought to write some of this down, he thought, not for the first time.

They used chopsticks in this world, he noticed, as they began to eat dinner (noodles in a vegetable soup, a little spicy. The Princess had chopped the vegetables, she explained.) Kurogane was more familiar with them than he was, although Fai and the Princess seemed to be managing. Mokona had not moved from the Princess' lap since Fai put him there, and was doing a fairly good impression of being a stuffed toy.

"We have apples for dessert," said Other Sakura, clearing away their bowls. The Other Syaoran quickly stood up to help. "Do you like apples, Miu-chan?"

"Very much," the Princess said, smiling. Once their backs were turned, she took the opportunity to lean over and whisper in Syaoran's ear, "Why do they call me Miu-chan?"

"Tell you later," Syaoran whispered back reassuringly.

"Don't worry about it, Princess," Fai said, reaching out to ruffle her hair.

"There," said Other Sakura, placing a plate of cut apple slices down on the table.

"They're red!" Syaoran said, in surprise. Even the apples in the Hanshin Republic had not been that red. The Princess looked surprised, too, but thoroughly delighted.

"They're fresh and ripe," the Other Sakura explained, smiling kindly. "I bought them this morning."

Only Kurogane seemed to expect them to be red. "Fuji apples," he said thoughtfully.

"You've had them before?" said Other Syaoran, genuinely intrigued, lowering his voice. "We call them Fuji apples, too."

"Where I come from," Kurogane said, "we have a legend that says they're from Mount Fuji. They rolled out of it. That's why they're red."

"What a beautiful story," said Fai, biting into a slice with another smile.

"Thank you for the food," Syaoran said quickly, before Kurogane could retort. "It was really delicious," he added, reaching for another apple slice.

"You're very welcome, Shouhei-kun. I thought we might have pancakes tomorrow morning," Other Sakura said, thoughtfully. "It's a good group meal."

The Princess looked delighted. "That sounds delicious," she said sincerely. Then she looked down at Mokona. "I know Mokona would enjoy them, too, right?"

Syaoran stiffened, as did the Other Syaoran, sitting to his right. Kurogane and Fai attempted to look nonchalant, but Kurogane appeared slightly surlier than usual, not quite glaring at Mokona.

For a moment, it seemed as if their cover would be broken. The other Sakura would see a magical creature. Why didn't he tell Sakura not to talk to Mokona? Syaoran thought wildly. He could have tried to tell her. He never wanted to die at his one hands.

But Mokona's expression did not change. Its eyes continued to squint, its mouth stayed frozen in a smile.

The Other Sakura laughed merrily. "What an adorable toy. It means a lot to you, doesn't it?"

"Mmm," the Princess agreed, confused. She hugged Mokona tighter, but didn't question its desire to stay quiet. Syaoran quietly let out the breath he was holding in, and felt the Other Syaoran relax. Fai gave the Princess a reassuring smile. Kurogane, meanwhile, bit into another apple slice.

"My friend Tomoyo had a stuffed animal she used to talk to, too," said Other Sakura, reminiscing. "It was a little yellow bear, with wings, and a long tail. I found it in my closet one day, and it seemed she'd take better care of it than I could, so she kept it."

"Aren't you going out to lunch with Tomoyo tomorrow?" Other Syaoran interrupted gently. He seemed determined to change the subject.

Other Sakura's eyes widened. "I had almost forgotten! It's been so long since she's had time..." She looked over at Syaoran and smiled. "I'm sorry, but would one of you mind sleeping on the couch for tonight? We can set up some futons, but that's all we have now, and I'm afraid I'll have an early start tomorrow."

"It's no problem," Syaoran said quickly.

Other Syaoran stood up. "I'll go find the futons. Must be in the closet somewhere."

"Thank you, dear," said Other Sakura. She turned back to Syaoran, "If you'd like, you can relax in the living room until we have your beds ready."

"Thank you for everything, Sakura-san," the Princess said sincerely.

The Other Syaoran led the way out, giving them one last warning look before leaving. It seemed as if he had decided to trust them, for the time being.

Syaoran bit his lip. "Listen," he said quietly. "Something about this world feels different."

Kurogane snorted. "_Everything_ about this world is different. When have we ever met ourselves in another dimension?"

"Well, we've met people we recognize," Syaoran replied. "I suppose it was only a matter of time…"

"I agree," Fai said seriously. "We've been lucky so far."

"So are Sakura-san and her husband really just other versions of you and I, Syaoran-kun?" Sakura asked, blushing slightly.

"It would seem so," Syaoran replied, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly.

"Kuro-tan and I thought it might be easier if there weren't two Sakuras and Syaorans, Princess," Fai added, more lightly. "While you were out of it, we thought of calling you two Miu and Shouhei. But then we had to tell this dimension's Syaoran the truth, because he guessed at most of the truth. Do you want to add anything, Kuro-pi?"

"I'm not in the mood for your jokes," Kurogane groaned.

"This Sakura is very sick," Mokona said suddenly. "All her magic is gone. She doesn't remember anything."

"Just like me," said the Princess, softly.

Kurogane hmmphed. "I guess we have a decision to make. Are we sticking around?"

"Mokona sensed a feather when we met them," Mokona added.

"I'd like to help Sakura-san get better," the Princess said.

Syaoran nodded. "Then it's settled. We'll stay."

-

* * *

**author's notes**: Next chapter, the mystery of what happened to Sakura Kinomoto and her magic is revealed! I'm aiming for monthly updates, at this point, but we'll see what happens. I don't envision the story stretching beyond 10 chapters, but I only have the next few outlined, and the story keeps changing on me.. (Also, to the person who asked, this story isn't set anywhere near the present TRC canon events; I began writing it nearly two years ago, and I don't envision rewriting _that_ much.) Concrit is welcome!

For those curious:  
Shouhei - soar, calm  
Miu - beauty, feather


	3. the scenery outside changes

_The scenery I see outside the slightly open window changes._

-

That night, once their guests had been settled, Syaoran found himself sitting on the edge of the bed, watching Sakura begin to undo her long braid in front of her mirror. He still wasn't sure how to deal with the travelers they had inadvertently picked up. They knew too much much too soon, and they could be lying about the other dimensions, although that would make it even harder to account for the similarities between Sakura and the younger Princess.

"You don't think there's anything strange about _them_?" Syaoran suggested, almost hoping that Sakura might agree with him. Even without her magic, she still had a fairly good sixth sense.

Should he trust the strangers whom Sakura had so readily invited in? Even if Mokona had been created by Clow, Syaoran had long since given up trusting _him_. Eriol may have had good intentions, but he also risked their lives many, many times in the process.

"Of course there's something strange about them" Sakura said sensibly. "Everyone has something strange about them at first. Think of Eriol. You hated him at first, didn't you? But weren't you two good friends by the time he moved back to England?"

And so were you, Syaoran wanted to add, but Sakura did not quite remember the times she had spent with Eriol and Kaho Mizuki since they met in elementary school.

"Speaking of Eriol," Syaoran said instead, "wasn't he coming back to visit soon?"

Sakura finished unbraiding her hair. In high school, she had decided to try and grow long hair like her mother's. Tomoyo had cut hers for the first time in years. Her mother had cried, but since then Tomoyo rarely had her hair long or down, and Sakura had let hers grow.

"I think so," she said. "I suppose Tomoyo might know. I'll ask her tomorrow."

She frowned at her reflection momentarily. Her bangs still stuck out on the sides, just as they had when she was younger. "I don't know why he's coming to Japan in the summer, though. It's much cooler in England, isn't it?"

Syaoran smiled, watching her reflection grimace back.

"Do you know what _is_ strange?" Sakura said suddenly, turning to face him. "Those children remind me of you and me, when we were their age. Don't they?"

Syaoran blinked. "You mean—"

"No, not quite that," Sakura said. "It's just that they're both so much like us. Shouhei-kun even stands like you."

"I don't see it," he said bluntly.

"Not exactly like you, of course," Sakura replied, patting his cheek gently. "It feels a little like how Eriol reminds me of my father, even though they barely know each other."

It was moments like this that truly made his heart hurt. Not only had Sakura forgotten all about Kero, to the point where she could honestly refer to him during dinner as nothing more than a stuffed toy that wasn't even hers, but she could think of no reason for Eriol and Fujitaka Kinomoto to appear similar. She had no memories of Clow.

But her words had a more immediate significance, too. He knew that once Sakura dragged in family, she had made up her mind. The poor flea-ridden puppy he had kept in his apartment until his owner was found had been brought there because he reminded her of her brother. Then was the white mouse at the fair that reminded her of Yukito.

"They're staying?" Syaoran said, regretfully, although he already knew what she was going to say next.

"They'll stay as long as they need to," Sakura said decisively.

Later, lying in bed with Sakura curled up beside him, fast asleep, Syaoran tried to choose his words carefully. What would he tell them? How would he explain Sakura's condition? Could they really help her?

The answer came that morning, in the form of a telephone call.

-

The other Sakura had managed pancakes for breakfast after all, and rushed out of the house, explaining briefly that she had to catch a train to Tokyo, to meet up with her friend Tomoyo (Kurogane had, once again, not said anything, much to Fai's amusement, as there was little doubt that she was yet another version of his Princess Tomoyo) for lunch and maybe they would like to look around town.

They ate in silence. The morning had felt like the aftermath of last night's awkward discussion, and no one felt like being the first to speak up.

Other Sakura had barely left when the telephone rang. The other Syaoran answered.

"Eriol!" the other Syaoran said, sounding surprised. "You're early, aren't you?"

A pause. Fai traded looks with Syaoran, Kurogane scowled, and Sakura looked more interested than not. The name meant nothing to them. Mokona, on the other hand, began to look thoughtful.

"Your instincts seem to be on target, as usual," the other Syaoran told the phone, dryly. He turned to look at them. "Sakura and I have _guests_."

Another pause.

"That's not too far from here," Other Syaoran said. "I guess I could bring them over. See you soon."

He hung up, and turned to face them. "I think it would be good for you to meet a friend of mine," the other Syaoran said. "He might be able to help you with your journey."

"What's he like?" the Princess asked.

"He's a magician," the other Syaoran explained. "Eriol Hiiragizawa. He lives in England, but he comes back to visit sometimes. He had a feeling about you."

Fai was reasonably certain that England was another name that meant nothing to any of them. It might be interesting to meet another magician, though.

The other Syaoran busied himself with cleaning up the breakfast dishes. Once the kitchen had been restored to its spotless state, he curtly informed them that they would have to take a bus and that they would need to wear different clothes.

Sakura had already been given a different dress to wear by the other Sakura. Other Syaoran found clothes for Kurogane and Fai in the guest room closet, murmuring something about his brother-in-law. He gave his own clothes to Syaoran.

"These are like the Hanshin Republic's too, aren't they?" Syaoran mused, pulling at his t-shirt. "Do you think we'll see a Kudan?"

"Kudan!" Mokona chirped, jumping on Syaoran's head.

"I doubt it," Fai said quietly. If there were such things, one of them would surely have noticed by now.

They set out for the bus, the other Syaoran leading the way, still looking concerned, in spite of the fact that they were, supposedly, going to find answers.

By the time they sat on the bus, Kurogane had had enough of the silence.

"Why do you think this magician's going to help us?" he asked.

"Eriol's a little bit unusual," the other Syaoran replied, fixing Mokona with a look. "In his past life, he was known as Clow Reed."

"Oh. _Him_," Mokona said. Its vague recognition seemed to hold significance.

Kurogane shrugged. It was good enough for now. Fai agreed.

-

The other Syaoran took them to what appeared to be the edge of their small suburb. In the distance Sakura could see an amusement park, whose ferris wheels and roller coaster peeked over most of the surrounding buildings. She couldn't remember if she'd ever been to one, but they looked like fun, she thought absently, as they turned down an isolated street lined with shrubbery.

Fai and Kurogane were close behind the other Syaoran, who paced ahead, looking around him. Sakura had fallen behind when she'd begun looking around the town, but Syaoran had made sure to stay with her. Mokona had moved to Fai's shoulder when they'd gotten off the bus, and was perched on there, still oddly quiet, but Sakura thought it probably just had a lot on its mind.

"Have you ever gone to one of those?" she asked Syaoran, pointing back.

"One of those what?" Syaoran repeated, startled. By now the hedges and trees had blocked their view of the park.

"There was an amusement park," Sakura said. "I think it's far away, though. I guess you can't see it from here."

"Looks like we're here," the other Syaoran interrupted.

They were standing in front of a large mansion. It didn't seem as if it was lived in very much. The house had a neglected feel to it, like it had lived without people inside it for a very long time.

The other Syaoran stepped up and rang the doorbell. It echoed sonorously inside.

"How sad," Sakura murmured.

"You knew this magician before, didn't you, Mokona?" Fai asked pleasantly, turned his head to face it. "Weren't you saying you were made by Clow?"

"Clow helped make Mokona Modoki, but Mokona doesn't remember this house at all," Mokona said, frowning.

"Clow's house was demolished years ago," the other Syaoran said, looking back at them. "They put up that amusement park over it."

Sakura blushed. So he_ had_ noticed her lagging behind.

"Eriol's rented different houses each time he comes," the other Syaoran continued. "I guess he doesn't want to be too attached to one here."

The door opened, creaking, to reveal the magician, a tall man with longish blue hair tied back who was looking reproachfully through silver glasses at the other Syaoran.

"I wasn't expecting you so soon," Eriol said. "I haven't gone down to the shop yet. Come in."

They followed him into the gloomy house. The hallway was dark inside, too.

Eriol led them up a flight of stairs and into what appeared to be a living room that hadn't been lived in for a long time. There were a number of faded couches and chairs arranged in a sort of circle, a low table at their center. A red armchair was placed nearby the window, which was lined with heavy drapes.

They sat, Eriol claiming the red chair and inviting them to find a spot of their own. Sakura took a seat closer to the window, somehow feeling that she didn't want to sit with her back to the door in this house. Syaoran sat by her, and Fai and Kurogane sat across, Fai smiling reassuringly at her.

"Shall we proceed to the introductions?" Eriol said pleasantly, wearing an enigmatic smile. "I'm Eriol Hiiragizawa. I suppose you are the anomalies that I thought I felt. I'm quite glad Syaoran could bring you by."

Sakura frowned slightly. They'd been called a lot of things, but 'anomaly' was a little different than usual. She looked up, and noticed that she was not the only one who seemed to think so.

"You're taller," Mokona said finally. Eriol looked at it, and for split second his face registered a faint expression of surprise before reverting back to the smile.

"Yes, well, it was bound to happen," he said.

"You've met?" the other Syaoran said in surprise.

"It was a long time ago!" Mokona chirped, sounding a little more like itself, but it didn't bother to elaborate, and neither did Eriol.

"Syaoran," Eriol said, and Syaoran couldn't help reacting, but he quickly turned his reflexive movement into a stretch. Sakura bumped her knee against his, reassuringly, silently reminding him not to worry. "As you've found me behind schedule, do you mind going to buy something to go with tea? Cakes, perhaps."

"Don't think I don't know that you're just trying to get rid of me," the other Syaoran warned, but he didn't seem to be on edge as he had been before. He got up to leave with good grace.

"Are you at all familiar with the neighborhood?" Eriol questioned, smiling. "I'm afraid I'm not, so I can't tell you where to go."

"I'll find something," the other Syaoran said.

He left them, sitting awkwardly in the dusty living room on the old fashioned couches, Mokona's ears twitching. Eriol leaned back further into his red armchair.

"I hope you'll forgive Syaoran for being curt," he said politely. "Not that he isn't usually, of course, but he's a little bit wary of you."

"People usually aren't, but I guess there's a first for everything," Syaoran murmured.

"Usually?" Eriol echoed, questioningly.

"Well," Syaoran amended, "when we travel. People usually don't question why we're there too much. But we've never really run into... people, not like this."

"Yourselves, you mean," Eriol said. "Please don't look surprised. It's fairly obvious. I've known Sakura and Syaoran since they were children, and you look exactly alike."

Syaoran and Sakura exchanged a look and hastily turned away. Their faces had suddenly flushed, almost in tandem.

"I suppose you've told Syaoran the whole story," Eriol continued.

"We had to," Fai admitted, grinning. "He was suspicious from the start."

"What had you claimed to be?" Eriol asked curiously.

"Just travelers," Syaoran said, and much to his consternation Eriol laughed. It wasn't a particularly mean-sounding laugh, but it still made him look away.

"In our world, you see, we don't get very many travelers," the magician explained. "Especially not in eclectic bunches such as your own. We are, perhaps, suspicious by nature, and Syaoran exceptionally so."

"Yeah, we figured that," Kurogane said gruffly. "Listen, I want to know what the deal is with the other Sakura. That guy won't say a word except glare at us like we're going to attack her. I want an explanation. If you would," he added as an afterthought when Sakura gave him a disapproving look.

"Agreed," Eriol said pleasantly. "I'll tell you as much as I can. Then, if you like, you can tell me what you're doing here, and I'll see what I can do. Before I begin, shall we finish our introductions?"

He looked over at Fai and Kurogane. Fai wore his friendliest expression, he one he reserved for strangers and those rare moments of competition when his powers were fairly obvious. Perhaps Fai was the one who most easily adjusted to each world, Sakura thought suddenly. He never seemed uneasy. Even in this situation, dealing with a magician they knew very little about, he was totally relaxed.

Syaoran bumped his leg into hers, much more timidly than she had done, but meaning to give her the same message she had silently told him before, to not worry about it.

"My name is Fai D. Flowright, I am a Wizard of Celes," Fai said, nodding his head briefly in what might have been a bow. "I am honored to meet another magician."

"Likewise," Eriol replied lightly.

"Kurogane," Kurogane said shortly. "Of Nihon."

"Different than this, I assume," Eriol said, looking more interested with every passing moment.

"Yeah," Kurogane answered.

Eriol's focus turned to Sakura and Syaoran, but before Syaoran could speak up, Mokona jumped over to them, sailing through the air.

"Mokona's turn!" it announced happily, landing on Sakura's lap. "Mokona is still Mokona! So Miu-miu is next. Miu-miu is very nice," it informed Eriol. "Miu and Mokona and Shou-shou are drinking buddies!"

Sakura muffled a squeak of embarrassment and turned bright red. Next to her, Syaoran's posture had become even more rigid. But Eriol's vague interest had turned into outright surprise.

"_Miu_?" he said, apparently having decided to disregard Mokona's drinking comment.

"Yes?" said Sakura, looking over at him. The name didn't bother her as much as she thought it might. She had gotten used to it after the other Sakura had talked to her for a while, so it wasn't hard to seem as if that really was her name. All this deception was becoming awfully confusing, she thought.

"How odd," Eriol said frankly. "In all honesty, this goes against all of my expectations. I was certain it followed that, if you had an alternate in that dimension, it would necessarily be a person bearing the same name as the original."

"You'd call this dimension the original?" Fai said curiously.

Eriol quickly backtracked. "Well, no, I wouldn't. It's only that it's easier for us to think of it that way, from _our_ perspective in _this_ dimension. Don't you agree, Syao-- you aren't called Syaoran, are you?"

"Shouhei, Shouhei!" Mokona chirped, as Sakura tried her best to quiet it down.

"Um, it's Shouhei," Syaoran said, over its chirps. "But, um, Miu and I are from the same dimension. Our country is called the Land of Clow."

"I suppose you've heard of Clow Reed by now," Eriol said, with a faint smile. His surprise seemed to have faded into the polite curiosity he had possessed at the beginning of their conversation.

"Yes," said Syaoran.

"You were _going_ to tell us about the other Sakura," Kurogane said, baring his teeth in a fierce grin. "I, for one, am getting bored with waiting."

"Shh, Kuro-pi," Fai said pleasantly, putting a finger to his mouth in a shushing motion. Mokona mimicked him, and both ignored Kurogane's frustrated growl.

"This story begins with Clow Reed," Eriol said, folding his hands together neatly. "He was the greatest magician in the world. I am only his reincarnation."

The magician stopped what he was saying just as a tall, red haired girl came into the room, carrying a tray. She silently unloaded cups and a teapot onto the table before leaving. Eriol watched her go before resuming his story.

He told them about the magic Clow Cards, holding the powers of every element of life, the magician Clow Reed's life work. He told them about the Cards' guardians, Keroberos and Yue, and how they were sealed into the Clow Book upon his death. He told them how, many years later, a little girl found the Book and unknowingly unleashed the Cards' power by letting them escape.

"You see," Eriol explained, noticing Syaoran's questioning look, "without Clow's influence, the Cards were full of uncontrollable power, and so they had to be caught and put away. So, Keroberos made Sakura a Cardcaptor. Syaoran, as one of Clow Reed's descendants, came to challenge her position, but she proved her own strength, and so he helped her until she had captured every single Card. She passed Yue's test and became their new mistress. I helped her remake the Cards to be her own, and soon she was poised to become the successor to Clow Reed's title, the strongest magician in the world."

"Hmph," Kurogane grunted.

Eriol stopped what he was saying once more to pour them all tea. "Syaoran will be back soon," he said. "I'll try to finish as quickly as I can."

"Sakura was in high school when it happened. About seventeen or so," Eriol amended, preempting their questions. "A stranger came to confront her for ownership of the Cards. They fought, and Sakura won. But her kind heart was her greatest weakness. She approached him to make sure he was all right, he attacked her, and stole all of her magical energy. I managed to revive her, but at the cost of her memories involving magic. Now, she can't remember anything about the Cards, nor can she use any of her magic powers."

"No wonder that Syaoran's been so mistrusting of us," Syaoran mused. "I guess we kind of came out of nowhere, too..." He trailed off, lost in thought. Sakura looked down at her knees, folding her hands together. When Syaoran got like this, he was usually remembering something. Sakura wasn't sure why, but somehow, she felt as if it was something involving her. Why else would he avoid her gaze?

"Syaoran has protected Sakura since she was a Cardcaptor. They are, you might say, bound together by fate," said Eriol. "Since Sakura's unfortunate... injury, as you might put it, he has done everything in his power to keep her safe. You see, Sakura is more affected by the loss of her magic than she realizes. Even though she can't remember her life being any different, she faces weakness of body and spirit, and she feels a great deal of loneliness inside at the loss of her cherished friends, although she can't remember anything about them to start with."

"That's so sad," Sakura said softly. Suddenly, she could see Sakura-san in a whole new light. She was a lot like her. She understood forgotten memories and weak bodies, and missing people she never knew.

"Is there any way to restore Sakura-san's memories?" Fai asked.

"Not without causing her a great deal of physical injury," Eriol said. "It is... regrettable."

He took a sip of his tea and smiled pleasantly at them.

"So, if I may, how did you end up together?" Eriol asked. The previous conversation was clearly over. "I can't think of anything your particular dimensions have in common with each other."

"We were introduced by the Dimension Witch," Fai replied. "I suppose she's called the Time-Space Witch, too, isn't she?"

"Ah," Eriol said thoughtfully, looking over at Mokona once again. "Yuuko."

"We told Syaoran, but he didn't seem to know who she was," Syaoran said.

"Syaoran wouldn't," Eriol said, flatly. "He is a Li, after all, and Clow Reed did not care to tell them very much about his involvement with Yuuko. In fact," he added, "he felt, at the time, that they were rather too nosy when it came to his personal affairs."

"_Affairs_?" Kurogane echoed, raising an eyebrow.

"Purely business, I assure you," Eriol replied, gesturing to Mokona. "It was a brief partnership. There was a considerable amount of distance between them. I myself haven't heard of the Dimension Witch in many years."

Eriol took another sip of his tea.

"I'm older than I look," he added.

The door to the room opened, and the other Syaoran came in, carrying a bag.

"That's true," said the other Syaoran, putting the bag down on the table. "Sorry for the wait. I found a bakery. You still like sweets, don't you, Hiiragizawa?" he asked, pulling out a cake.

"Very much," said Eriol, smiling politely.

The two talked for a while, exchanging stories about people, Nakuru and Suppi, that had not been part of Eriol's story. Whoever they were, they had been left in England, according to Eriol, who busied himself with serving them cake.

"You made it back just at the right time for the most important part of our conversation, I think," Eriol told the other Syaoran, once the tea had been properly set out.

"Oh?" Other Syaoran said warily.

"Yes. We have already discussed the how, but _what_, my friends, brings you to Tomoeda, after going to so many different worlds?"

They sat in silence. The other Syaoran, sitting opposite Eriol, looked grim. Eriol appeared ever-patient, smiling the same polite smile he had worn for most of their visit. Sakura began to wonder if it was really real.

"Sakura-san is a lot like me," she said finally, deciding to explain as best she can. "I've lost my memories, too. All of them."

"How?" Eriol said, a gleam in his eye.

"We don't know," Syaoran said flatly. "But her memories took the form of feathers, and were sent to different worlds. We've been searching for them ever since."

"And you believe there is one here?" Eriol questioned.

"Mokona felt one," Mokona said, pausing to gulp down another bite of cake. "Mokona is good at feeling magic! Mokona has had lots of practice finding things."

"Mokona's usually the one who leads us to them, to an extent," Fai explained. "It senses them, and transports us. Mokona seems to be quite a talented creature."

"I'm glad to know that it's a help," said Eriol, "although I'm sure it would have meant more to my past self."

"We'll stay until we find the feather, then we move on," said Syaoran.

Eriol stirred his tea thoughtfully.

"I felt you arrive because you had a different aura. The feather would have arrived here before you, I assume, but I didn't notice anything out of the ordinary," he said. "I'm afraid I can't help you locate it. But I will see what I can do, if it will help."

"It would," Syaoran said fervently.

"Thank you," Sakura added, politely.

"I guess that's it," said the other Syaoran. He stood up abruptly and waited for them to finish their tea.

"It was a pleasure meeting you, in any case," Eriol said courteously, standing up to shake hands. When he came to Sakura, he raised her hand up and brushed it lightly with his lips. It seemed very old fashioned, but she couldn't help blushing.

"I'm sure we'll meet again," he added. "I'd like to see how this will all play out."

"I'll let you know," said the other Syaoran, motioning to them to follow him out. "Come on. We have to catch the bus again."

-

"That was interesting," Kurogane said. "Curses and magic. Every world's crazier than the next."

"However, I'd say it was informative," Fai added lightly.

They had ended up walking at the end of their train, Sakura just ahead of them with Mokona, and the two Syaorans led the front of the line.

"What a story," Kurogane grumbled. "All these names to keep straight..."

"Mokona, why'd you call me Miu, too?" asked the Princess, carrying it in her arms.

"When you tell a person your real name, they have a lot of power over you," Mokona said seriously. "Suddenly, Mokona had a funny feeling," it explained, sounding much more lighthearted, "so Mokona made a diversion! Diversions are one of Mokona's 108 Secret Skills!"

"I agree with Mokona," Fai said, leaning down towards Sakura. "We seem to have gotten caught up in a story we aren't part of."

"But we are part of it!" Sakura protested. "Sakura-san has to get better, and if we can help, then..."

"No one's saying we aren't going to help Sakura-san," Kurogane said gruffly. "All he means is that there's more going on than meets the eye. And Mokona hasn't sensed the feather since we first met..." he trailed off, but it was clear who he meant.

"Mokona plans on going MEKKYON again very soon," Mokona said, imitating its usual scary face. "Sakura-chan's feather isn't far away at all, but it's being hidden by something. But Mokona will find it!"

"And we'll try to get back Sakura-san's memories," Fai promised. "Just like we're getting yours, Princess."

The other Syaoran was waiting for them at the street corner, just ahead. Their Syaoran hovered by him, shifting feet awkwardly.

"I didn't like Eriol at first," the other Syaoran said abruptly. "My mistrust blinded me to his own magical abilities. But, you see, as odd as he can be, he saved Sakura's life. I can never be grateful enough to him, when it comes to that."

They waited for the light to change.

"My point _is_," said the other Syaoran, "he isn't a bad guy. I don't trust him, but I believe in him. He'll do the best he can, if it will help."

"We will, too," said Syaoran. "We do want to help Sakura-san."

"I don't trust you, either," the other Syaoran said finally. "But I do believe you."

The light changed, and the crowd around them pushed them to cross, cutting off any further conversation.

-

"Yuuko Ichihara," Eriol said to himself. He grimaced. To think that she would even be involved was simply extraordinary.

He knew of her involvement with Clow, how they had met in Hong Kong in his youth. She had never wanted to use her real name, but she still seemed to be using the moniker of Yuuko, and so Ichihara naturally seemed to follow...

For Yuuko to have something to do with the feather was, perhaps, inevitable. She always was nosy, all of her fingers in someone else's pie. Dimension Witch indeed, he scoffed.

Was there even a word for the circumstance he was now in? It wasn't quite luck, good or bad, and he'd prefer not to think it was fate.

The situation would require him to keep a closer eye on things.

-

**author's notes:** The plot thickens with excessive dialogue, and a slightly longer chapter to make up for missing last month! Next chapter will be flashing back to Eriol's story for a slightly different point of view as to what happened to Sakura. And what will happen with Princess Sakura's feather?... Thank you for your support! Concrit is, as always, welcome.


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